Limited Monorail? NOOOOOOOOO

Let's imagine that they dismantled the monorail entirely...I don't think that the room prices at the GF, Poly or CR would stay at the same levels.

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Why not? Not everyone uses the monorails to begin with. And the proximity to the Magic Kingdom wouldn't be changed. Nor would the views.

If anyone things people would pay what they charge for the deluxe resorts anywhere else, someplace not on Disney property, you are kidding yourself. Do you think if the Poly was plopped down in say, Baton Rouge, and a monorail was built around it, they would charge and get the same rates?

Nope. The monorail is only one part of the equation. Only part of the reason they charge what they charge for those resorts. Take the monorail away and many people would still pay, still keep staying at the Poly and GF and Contemporary.

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But they are not the most expensive. Both the Beach Club and the Boardwalk base rooms are more expensive than the base rooms at the Contemporary.

Disney doesn't price rooms based on access to the monorails alone. That is but one of a lot of amenities factored in to the cost. As I had one resort manager tell me when I was unhappy an amenity was unavailable for my whole stay, Disney doesn't have to give you any prior notice when something is closed. And they don't have the habit of offering discounts because part of a resort is not available.

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But imagine that they closed off the walkway from BC, YC and BW and you could no longer walk to Epcot. Wouldn't that detract from the appeal of those hotels?

Now, I know it's not a perfect analogy, but my point is, the monorail being down during the day takes away a major part of the appeal of those resorts, just like blocking the Epcot walkway would.

But imagine that they closed off the walkway from BC, YC and BW and you could no longer walk to Epcot. Wouldn't that detract from the appeal of those hotels?

Now, I know it's not a perfect analogy, but my point is, the monorail being down during the day takes away a major part of the appeal of those resorts, just like blocking the Epcot walkway would.

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To make your analogy fair, you would have to say the walkway was blocked part of the time. You could not use the walkway during the middle of the day, but it was available all other times. And Disney was still willing to shuttle you to the park. An inconvenience, but not a tragedy.

Why not? Not everyone uses the monorails to begin with. And the proximity to the Magic Kingdom wouldn't be changed. Nor would the views.

If anyone things people would pay what they charge for the deluxe resorts anywhere else, someplace not on Disney property, you are kidding yourself. Do you think if the Poly was plopped down in say, Baton Rouge, and a monorail was built around it, they would charge and get the same rates?

Nope. The monorail is only one part of the equation. Only part of the reason they charge what they charge for those resorts. Take the monorail away and many people would still pay, still keep staying at the Poly and GF and Contemporary.

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If you think those resorts would be able to charge the same rates if the monorail was entirely dismantled, you are kidding yourself. Of course its only one part of the price, but it is an important one.

To make your analogy fair, you would have to say the walkway was blocked part of the time. You could not use the walkway during the middle of the day, but it was available all other times. And Disney was still willing to shuttle you to the park. An inconvenience, but not a tragedy.

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Yes, that is what I meant, part of the day. And I think if that ever happened, customers staying at those resorts would be quite annoyed. No one ever said this was a tragedy.

This doesn't apply to me, but I would LOVE to stay at the CR to have access to the monorail. We decided it wasn't worth the money, since the main reason I wanted to stay there was the monorail. We booked POR and decided to take a cab when we didn't want to fight the busses/boat.
That being said, I would be PISSED if the monorail was down when I was there. I totally agree OP. Maybe see if you can change resorts and save some money if you aren't getting the convenience you paid for.

The OP booked her trip in January. You honestly expect Disney to have known way back then that the monorail would have to be closed during the day in October?

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No, I don't. I do though expect a place like WDW to do something to make up for the inconvenience of not having the monorail running properly. If it wasn't listed as one of the perks you get for staying at the resort then it would be different, but since they do they need to do more than what they are doing. Hey even if it is something small like an extra FP for your MB. Or like they did with the credit when the fridges were gone. It is the right thing to do IMO as a customer friendly company. I will exclusively shop a place that has great customer service even over a place with a cheaper price. It says a lot when they go out of the way to show their customers they care and by saying too bad so sad..take the bus we have set up for you or walk etc. I don't think it is showing good customer service.

"Due to guest demand, we have decided to remove the unsightly concrete beams and posts from outside of our most expensive resort hotels, which will also reduce the noise levels in rooms close to the old track. Because of the cost of the exciting new boat and bus opportunities that we will now be offering to our guests, there will be a price increase for these newly improved hotels..."

I would be really annoyed too. During our next visit we are staying at a monorail resort and only visiting MK and Epcot, and dining at monorail resorts, specifically so that we can enjoy the convenience of the monorail and not have to fold up our double stroller. I am sure disney knows well in advance when these service cutbacks will be. It would be nice if they informed customers in a timely way so they can change their resorts/dates if desired, or else compensate them in some way for what will be a major inconvenience for many.

I think that it is a little bit harsh to tell the OP that she is not paying for full monorail access during her stay. Every time someone posts here asking for reasons to stay on the monorail line, especially those people who have little ones or elderly members in their party, we all tell them that the monorail can be a godsend when you want a midday break. Now I am not suggesting that Disney needs to offer price breaks, but I find it odd that so many people just tell her to walk back to the CR, and that repairs need to happen so be happy that Disney is doing that.

Yes, repairs happen, but when there is so little notice, people whose plans were made with those midday plans in mind, don't you think that Disney should be able to have some sort of reasonable response? I know that there will be additional busses, and that there will be more boats running, but it is not the same as hopping on the monorail. I think that those people who are frequent visitors, and who are able to make changes in their plans think all people are that flexible, but sadly, that is not the case. Some people save longer in order to afford that additional amenity because it is a necessity rather than a nicety, and it is not okay so close to their travel time to tell those people to deal with it. I have no idea what it is like to rely on one method of travel and hope I never need to, but if I had this issue, and found that now my elderly parent was going to be severely impacted, I would expect something to compensate for her trouble. This resort was booked in good faith, and the inconvenience for some people cannot be resolved with
a short walk".

We stayed at the Contemporary in June....we used the monorail once the entire time. We never took it to or from MK....much much easier to walk.

When we booked the Contemporary, it had nothing to do with the monorail. It had to do with the location as a whole. Watching the fireworks from the hotel. Walking to and from MK. The amazing views of Bay Lake at night and in the morning. The size of the rooms. The all around amazing service. The monorail is one small part of the experience at the Contemporary. We would stay there again if there was no monorail at all.

I just don't understand people letting something like the monorail being down ruin their trip. I get that it's expensive. Believe me I do. We are planning on getting 2 rooms at the Contemporary in April for 7 of us and we would never expect any type of compensation if the monorail was down. They are doing what they should be doing...offering alternative transportation options. It's not like you suddenly can't get there. Maybe it's because of everything we have been through the past few years but the monorail being down wouldn't even be a blip on our radar. And honestly, I don't think Disney owes anyone anything because of this. Again, I would never expect compensation. Things happen. That's life. It is what it is and if the monorail being down is your biggest complaint right now, count yourself lucky.

I just can't wait to be back at the Contemporary next year (monorail or no monorail!)

I can sympathize with the OP. It's annoying to find out that you spent a lot of time, consideration and $ booking your trip almost a year in advance only to discover that one of the things you were really looking forward to is not available.

I feel bad for those booking Poly trips who aren't aware of the major construction that will be going on over the next few years. I sure hope Disney notifies them about it. I would be really annoyed to arrive and discover that the pool was being rehabbed and there are construction walls/vehicles blocking my view.

Bottom line is, things happen that aren't under our control. Unfortunately we just have to deal with it. I would hope that the additional buses are exclusive to those resorts affected by the monorail shutdown.

I say people need to deal with things and not try to get something for free. It's not that bad to take a bus or a boat. This would not ruin my vacation . Go with the flow. You are not the only family staying there.

I think you're making a bigger deal out of this than is warranted. First of all, it says that the monorail will be shut down between the hours of 11 am and 6 pm, which isn't when most people are traveling to and from the parks. Second, it says that additional boat and bus transportation will be provided, so I don't see why they should offer any discounts, freebies or upgrades.

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Because YOU PAY FOR IT .... and then they don't offer it.

Anyone who comes on these boards defends the price of the Poly et el by saying ... blah blah blah and location plus monorail.

Thank you! This is exactly what I've been saying. I love taking the boat from MK to WL.

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Its great that YOU love it, but its not what the OP PAID for.

They PAID for a monorail resort with a MONORAIL running ALL DAY for the convenience of getting to and from the park and the "cool" factor of the monorail. You know, that thing they advertise and use to justify the insane prices at places like the Poly ?

I say people need to deal with things and not try to get something for free. It's not that bad to take a bus or a boat. This would not ruin my vacation . Go with the flow. You are not the only family staying there.

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They aren't trying to get something for free, they are trying to get what the paid for. If anything, Disney is trying to get something for free, you pay them the big bucks for a Monorail resort, and get a 0.5 monorail resort with some extra busses ...

I think it stinks. I wouldn't expect compensation though. Disney feels that they are accommodating the change by offering more busses and boat, etc. That is essentially what they feel is adequate compensation. Whether we agree or not is another thing. Knowing that, there are a few options... Complain at the front desk and see where it gets you, deal with it, or change resorts if the accommodations are unsatisfactory.

They'd be fine for me I could still use the monorail during the general times I need to. If I switched I'd still end up on a bus mid day to go back to the resort. However, if moving to BC or BW is much less price wise I would strongly consider it.